Hair styling implement with resilient prong teeth



Sept. 15, 1964 scou o z 3,148,686

HAIR STYLING IMPLEMENT WITH RESILIENT PRONG TEETH Filed March 14, 1963 INVENTOR. #5670? 5. (MBA/0Y5? United States Patent 3,148,686 HAIR STYLING IMPLEMENT WITH RESILIENT PRONG TEETH Hector S. Cournoyer, Miami Beach, Fla. (556 E. 62nd St., Hialeah, Fla.) Filed Mar. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 265,264 3 Claims. (Cl. 132-149) My invention relates to hair dressing and is directed particularly to an improved hair styling implement for use by the professional hair stylist in creating fantasy or highly-styled coiffures.

The hair stylist, particularly when working with highstyle coitfures, often has to work the hair from the inside to the surface in creating the waves or dips or in smoothing the hair or in otherwise shaping the hair to give the desired external appearance. Heretofore this has been accomplished with the use of stiff rat-tails of combs or with the aid of other makeshift devices, such as hair pins, the use of which has been generally unsatisfactory and time consuming.

It is accordingly the principal object of my invention to provide an improved hair styling implement for tuning ing the hair of bouffant hair styles efliciently and rapidly.

A more particular object is to provide a hair styling implement of the character described which comprises a flat handle and a plurality of long, flexible equidistantlyspaced parallel prongs extending outwardly of one side of the handle, the prongs being long enough to reach deep into bouifant zones of the hair for manipulation of inner hair portions, the handle being small enough to be held between the fingers of the operator.

Yet another object is to provide a hair styling implement of the above nature wherein the prongs comprise groups of different lengths arranged alternately, so that hair at intermediate and inner depths of a boulfant hair section are operated upon simultaneously.

Still another object is to provide a hair styling implement of the character described which will be simple in construction, light in weight, economical to manufacture, and long-wearing and effective in use.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description when read with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like reference numbers denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view illustrating use of the hair styling implement embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view illustrating another use of the hair styling implement;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the implement shown separately, a portion being broken away to reveal interior construction; and

FIG. 4 is an end view of the implement.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, designates a hair styling implement embodying the invention, the same comprising a thin, fiat, substantially rectangular handle or body portion 11, extending from one edge of which are a first plurality of prongs 12 interspaced with a second plurality of relatively shorter prongs 13, all equidistantly spaced and arranged in a common plane. The prongs 12, 13 are fairly stiff, yet resilient, and preferably comprise lengths of stainless steel spring wire of about .025 inch in diameter, the outer ends of which are smoothly rounded. Alternatively, instead of rounding the outer ends of the wire prongs, they can be dipped in a suit able lacquer which when dry, will form smooth rounded tips. The body portion 11 may conveniently be molded of a tough synthetic plastic in which the inner ends of the prongs 12, 13 are securely embedded, as illustrated in FIG. 3. Preferably, the corners of the body portion 11 are smoothly rounded, as indicated at 14, and the op- Patented Sept. 15, 1964 ice posed sides are somewhat concavely shaped, as indicated at 15, to provide hollows within which the fingers fit to insure a firm and proper grip while using the implement. I have found the best results are attained with seven long prongs 12 of about 2% inches in length spaced along a width of about 1% inches, and with the six interspaced short prongs having a length of about 2 inches. A handle length of about 2 inches with such a configuration of resilient prongs results in a lightweight implement that can be held in the hand and manipulated with ease.

In use, the hair styling implement will be inserted into that part of the hair to be operated upon and manipulated so that the prongs lift or smoothen or otherwise direct the hair in the desired manner in creating a particular hair style (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The prongs are long and thin enough to extend deep within bouifant hair portions to lift the hair for balancing the hair style, or for otherwise shaping the hair to the desired appearance. When working with hair closer to the surface, the implement in many instances will not be inserted far enough to bring the shorter prongs into play, and in such cases, the longer prongs are sulficient in number to be used effectively. It is to be noted that the resiilency of the prongs permits gentle pulling or lifting of the hair into the desired position without strain or discomfort to the patron, the resiliency being such as to yield rather than exert undue force upon the hair. The resiliency, moreover, is elfective in all directions, the prongs being of wire of round cross-section, so that no matter in which direction the implement is moved, the prongs will give before impart ing too great a force upon the hair.

While I have illustrated and described herein only one form in which the invention may conveniently be embodied in practice, it is to be understood that this form is given by way of example only and not in a limiting sense. The invention, in brief, comprises all the modifications and embodiments coming within the scope and spirit of the following claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A tool for arranging hair to permit a hair stylist to create fantasy and highly styled coiifures comprising:

an elongated thin handle,

said handle including indented portions at opposite sides and forming hollows therein for accommodating the ends of a users fingers to insure a firm and proper grip while using the tool; and a plurality of elongated, thin prongs embedded at one end in an edge of said handle in coplanar relation and disposed between said opposed handle sides,

said prongs comprising spring wire having a uniform circular cross section the entire length thereof and including terminal rounded ends to insure that the prongs may be inserted and moved through the hair without impaction or harm to the scalp, said uniform circular cross section prongs being uniformly yieldable in all directions surrounding the prongs to obviate pulling the hair of a person whose hair is being styled,

said prongs being of a length of at least approximately two inches suificient to reach deep into the bouffant hair portions, being spaced at least four times the diameter of said prongs whereby minimum resistance to movement of the prongs occurs when strands of hair are lifted and rearranged.

2. The structure as claimed in claim 1 in which said prongs have a diameter of about .025 inch.

3. The structure as claimed in claim 1 in which said indented portions at opposite sides of said handle are References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 73,884 Foster Ian. 28, 1868 2,188,544 Scott Jan. 30, 1940 2,227,451 Huppert Jan. 7, 1941 4 Sidelman May 16, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS France June 10, 1930 Great Britain Sept. 29, 1949 France Aug. 19, 1946 Great Britain July 13, 1948 

1. A TOOL FOR ARRANGING HAIR TO PERMIT A HAIR STYLIST TO CREATE FANTASY AND HIGHLY STYLED COIFFURES COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED THIN HANDLE, SAID HANDLE INCLUDING INDENTED PORTIONS AT OPPOSITE SIDES AND FORMING HOLLOWS THEREIN FOR ACCOMMODATING THE ENDS OF A USER''S FINGERS TO INSURE A FIRM AND PROPER GRIP WHILE USING THE TOOL; AND A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED, THIN PRONGS EMBEDDED AT ONE END IN AN EDGE OF SAID HANDLE IN COPLANAR RELATION AND DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID OPPOSED HANDLE SIDES, SAID PRONGS COMPRISING SPRING WIRE HAVING A UNIFORM CIRCULAR CROSS SECTION THE ENTIRE LENGTH THEREOF AND INCLUDING TERMINAL ROUNDED ENDS TO INSURE THAT THE PRONGS MAY BE INSERTED AND MOVED THROUGH THE HAIR WITHOUT IMPACTION OR HARM TO THE SCALP, SAID UNIFORM CIRCULAR CROSS SECTION PRONGS BEING UNIFORMLY YIELDABLE IN ALL DIRECTIONS SURROUNDING THE PRONGS TO OBVIATE PULLING THE HAIR OF A PERSON WHOSE HAIR IS BEING STYLED, SAID PRONGS BEING OF A LENGTH OF AT LEAST APPROXIMATELY TWO INCHES SUFFICIENT TO REACH DEEP INTO THE BOUFFANT HAIR PORTIONS, BEING SPACED AT LEAST FOUR TIMES THE DIAMETER OF SAID PRONGS WHEREBY MINIMUM RESISTANCE TO MOVEMENT OF THE PRONGS OCCURS WHEN STRANDS OF HAIR ARE LIFTED AND REARRANGED. 